Dr Vanessa Murphy

Biography

Dr Vanessa Murphy is a postdoctoral research scientist investigating the characteristics, mechanisms and consequences of asthma exacerbations during pregnancy and their health impact on both the mother and the baby. She began in this field full-time in 1999, with her PhD studies on the effects of maternal asthma on placental function and fetal development winning numerous awards, nationally and internationally. In 2004, with a competitive 3 year fellowship from the Hunter Medical Research Institute, she commenced her post-doctoral studies with the Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases, under the supervision of Prof Peter Gibson, where she is continuing to build on her expertise in the area of asthma exacerbations and airway inflammation during pregnancy. Since 2006, Dr Murphy has pursued her research career part-time, and has taken three significant breaks from her career while having children. In 2007 she received her first project grant from the NHMRC, which investigated the mechanisms, characteristics and consequences of viral infections on asthma exacerbations during pregnancy, and she is currently funded by a part-time NHMRC fellowship which was also awarded in 2007. She is involved as an associate investigator on the NHMRC funded “Managing asthma in pregnancy” (MAP) randomised controlled trial, which successfully reduced the rate of severe exacerbations in pregnancy by managing treatment changes with the use of an objective marker of airway inflammation. This resulted in a high impact publication in Lancet in 2011. With pilot funding from HMRI, this study has now been extended to a birth cohort follow-up study, investigating the links between maternal asthma in pregnancy and the development of asthma in childhood, in collaboration with Paediatrician A/Prof Joerg Mattes and Prof Peter Gibson. A further highlight of recent years has been working on an exciting collaboration with the world leader in the field of asthma during pregnancy, Prof Michael Schatz and colleagues in San Diego, USA. Together, we have completed the first systematic review and meta-analysis examining the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes in women with asthma, which has resulted in a publication in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2011. Dr Murphy has been invited to write reviews several times, and this year was invited to speak at the European Respiratory Society Conference in Amsterdam in September on the management of asthma during pregnancy, demonstrating her recognition internationally in the field of asthma during pregnancy.

Qualifications

• PhD, University of Newcastle, 2004
• Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours), University of Wollongong, 1999

Research

Research keywords

• asthma
• pregnancy

Research expertise

Vanessa's research expertise is in the area of asthma during pregnancy, covering the effects of asthma on pregnancy outcomes, the management of asthma during pregnancy, and the mechanisms of viral infection in pregnancy.

Languages

• English

Fields of Research

Centres and Groups

Centre

• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Asthma & Respiratory Diseases

Group

Appointments

Australian Part-time Research Fellowship National Health & Medical Research Council (Australia)

01/12/2007

Awards

Research Award.

2005	Ian Potter Foundation Travel Grant Ian Potter Foundation (Australia)
2005	Young Scientist Sponsorship European Respiratory Society (Denmark)
2004	New Investigator Award Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (Australia)
2003	Elsevier Science New Investigator Award International Federation of Placenta Associations (Germany)
2002	Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Research Award ASMR (Australia) This award allowed me to travel to San Diego to complete a 3 month collaborative project with Ferring Research Insitute using novel proteomic techniques.
2002	Best Oral Presentation by a Student Fetal and Neonatal Physiological Society (Czech Republic)
2001	Medibank Private Student Researcher Award Australian Society for Medical Research (Australia)